Cardiff booked their place in the Sky Bet Championship play-offs with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Hull – a result that sent the Tigers tumbling into League One.
Junior Hoilett, Sean Morrison and Danny Ward eased the Bluebirds into a play-off position that seemed barely credible when Neil Warnock was sacked in November.
Hull, however, have been heading in the other direction at an alarming rate. Five straight losses – including an embarrassing 8-0 capitulation at Wigan last week – and 15 defeats in 20 games had preceded a final day trip to south Wales and left them anchored to the foot of the division.
The January departures of Jarrod Bowen and Kamil Grosicki will loom large in Hull’s sorry season as Grant McCann’s team went into freefall.
Hull recalled George Long after the goalkeeper had let in eight at Wigan. Long was omitted for the weekend defeat to Luton but returned as Matt Ingram dropped to the bench.
Hull’s disbelief turned to despair after 34 minutes when Morrison was left unchallenged from a Joe Ralls corner to head home his second goal in as many games.
Morrison produced a superb block to deny James Scott and Alex Smithies had to push Wilks’ follow-up effort around a post.
Bennett’s free-kick on the edge of the box was deflected into the path of Danny Ward, who drove home low inside Long’s near post.
